Ep. 58 - Beyond Burnout: Dr. Wendy Dean on Confronting Moral Injury in Medicine

Join host Meredith Hirsh, co-host Mike Chavez and psychiatrist Dr. Wendy Dean for a powerful episode of Working Healthcare that exposes the deeper crisis behind physician burnout: moral injury. Dr. Dean—author, podcaster and co-founder of the nonprofit Moral Injury of Healthcare—explains why so many clinicians are not just exhausted but ethically broken. Moral injury happens when healthcare professionals know the right course of action for their patients but are blocked by profit-driven systems, limited resources and institutional constraints.Together, they unpack how today’s healthcare system prioritizes billing, productivity and bottom lines over patient care and physician well-being—leading to betrayal, disillusionment and a loss of purpose across the profession. Dr. Dean reframes burnout as only part of the story and positions moral injury as a widespread ethical crisis impacting providers at every level. Listeners will learn how moral injury contributes to the physician shortage, drives providers away from clinical practice and compromises patient outcomes. This episode is essential for clinicians, health system leaders and policymakers ready to confront the ethical cost of modern medicine. Tune in now to help reclaim the heart and soul of healthcare.